Learning Behavior Analysis of a Ubiquitous Situated Reflective Learning System with Application to Life Science and Technology Teaching

Education research has shown that reflective study can efficiently enhance learning, and the acquisition of knowledge and skills from real-life situations has become a focus of interest for scholars. The knowledge-learning model based on verbal instruction, used in traditional classrooms, does not make use of real-life situations that encourage students to engage in reflective learning. However, by implementing the Ubiquitous Situated Reflective Learning System (USRLS), learners can be provided with real situations, faced in daily life at any time, to encourage them to engage in reflective learning with regard to information pertinent to the class. This study adopted a quasi-experimental design to assess the efficacy of these two learning models. The research subjects were 52 students from two grade 5 classes in one elementary school in the middle part of Taiwan. The USRLS was used for teaching the experimental group, while the traditional oral teaching method was used for the control group. The learning content of fifth-grade life-science technology classes consists of units on burning and rusting in the context of the life sciences and technology. The research results showed that (1) the learning effectiveness of the USRLS is superior to that of the traditional oral teaching model and (2) students in the high-learning achievement (HLA) group are best suited to a text-based self-reflective learning strategy, while students in the low-learning achievement (LLA) group can obtain more help by using a text-based peer-reflective strategy. Students noted that the learning cycle of a situated reflective learning model encouraged them to consider lesson content, helped them review their answers, and enabled them to increase their focus on the concepts and information in the learning task.